LOS ANGELES — In the second inning of the Rockies' 6-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday, Nolan Arenado elevated his Gold Glove to platinum status.

It seemed ridiculous to even try to make a play on Scott Van Slyke's blazing grounder down the third-base line, but Arenado's still just a 23-year-old kid, so what the heck.

"Honestly, it was more like a courtesy dive," Arenado said with a sheepish laugh. "I was really just taking a dive at it and I got it with the end of my glove. Thank God it stayed in there and I was able to make a play on it."

Arenado got to his feet and threw out Van Slyke by half a step for perhaps the best defensive play by a Rockie this season. The brilliance of the diamond gem drew a gasp, and even some grudging applause, from the Big Blue faithful at Dodger Stadium.

"I told Nolan that play was one of the top three that we have seen, and that's saying something, because there is a pretty good collection," manager Walt Weiss said. "But I've said it all year that he's as good as I have ever seen. He's changed several games this year with his defense."

All told, Arenado had seven assists Sunday.

"I was busy today, that's for sure," Arenado said. "But I enjoy it. I love getting the ball. I love making plays. I love helping the team out. It helps even more when we win."

While Arenado has been channeling his inner Brooks Robinson, he has been busy extending his hitting streak to 17 games, tied for the longest in the majors this season. During the run, he has hit .348 (24-for-69) with nine runs scored, five doubles, two homers and eight RBIs.

"I'm just trying to see the ball well," he said. "Sometimes I chase a lot of pitches and get myself in trouble. I still make mistakes down there. But I'm just trying to see the ball, put good swings on the ball and hit it hard."

While Arenado was shining at the hot corner, lefty Jorge De La Rosa was dominant on the mound. He pitched seven innings, holding the Dodgers to one run on four hits. He induced 13 groundball outs, and afterward he tipped his cap to Arenado.

"I just tried to use all of my pitches," De La Rosa said. "(Arenado) did everything. When I get groundballs, I know they are going to be outs. He's tremendous. Nothing he does surprises me too much, because he always makes those kinds of plays."

Not only did the Rockies win the three-game series at Los Angeles, they also beat up on Dodgers starter Hyun-Jin Ryu. The lefty took the mound with a 3-1 record and a 2.12 ERA, but he departed after five-plus innings, giving up six runs on nine hits, including a three-run homer to Josh Rutledge. Rutledge's shot into the left-field bleachers was his first homer of the season, and it silenced the crowd of 52,359 and sent Ryu to the showers.

"I was just hoping to get a pitch up and drive it for a sac fly, and it happened to work out for us," Rutledge said.

The Rockies beat the Dodgers despite getting no production from the heartbeat of their order. Troy Tulowitzki was 0-for-4, and the slumping Carlos Gonzalez went 0-for-5, including two strikeouts. CarGo's 8-for-58 skid (.138) over his last 15 games has dropped his average to 234.

With Jhoulys Chacin set to rejoin the rotation soon, Morales seemed the logical choice to go back to the bullpen, but he has pitched so well lately, he has earned the right to remain a starter. Morales comes off two excellent outings that earned him wins — a six-inning, one-run stint at San Diego and a seven-inning, one-run performance vs. San Francisco. Morales has been very good vs. lefties this season, holding them to three hits in 18 at-bats (.167), with just two walks and no extra-base hits. That's why the Rockies still have designs on using him as a reliever, but only if he struggles as a starter.